1. social.hays.com
ONBOARDING
FROM HOME
Your guide to hiring, retaining and onboarding
new workers whilst working remotely.

2. SHOULD I EVEN MAKE AN OFFER NOW?
If you’re reconsidering making an offer or you’re having doubts
about an offer you’ve already extended, don’t worry. There really
is no cause for alarm.
Take a long-term view
Remember why you needed to hire in the first place. The short-
term uncertainty hasn’t changed the longer-term requirement
and value - you still need the expertise and experience that this
candidate can offer.
Skills shortages are still very real
There is still a dramatic shortage of skills and this is unlikely to
change after this period of uncertainty has ended. If you’ve found
a candidate who can provide the help you need, lock them down
with an offer now.
Show your supportive side
How you act in the next few weeks and months will reveal
a lot about how you care for the wellbeing of your staff. Be
supportive and continue in a manner as close to ‘business as
usual’ as possible, and you’ll earn their loyalty in the future.
MADE AN OFFER? KEEP THEM ENGAGED
Once you have made an offer, it’s of prime importance that you
make every effort to support them during their notice period.
In the current climate, they need to feel a sense of security and
support from you, or they may drop out of the process.
Be mindful of their emotions
Your new candidate is leaving the security of their current role
to come and work for you. This is a big decision even before
you consider that their early days with your organisation might
comprise entirely of remote working. This may prove intimidating,
so it’s important to stay in regular communication and impress
upon them a sense of safety, community and belonging.
Beware counter offers
The first and last weeks of an employee’s notice period are the
times when they are most likely to receive a counter offer from
their current employer. During these times, stay in contact.
Get them involved
During their notice period, try to get them involved with their
new team, particularly if they have any direct reports. This will
help give them a sense of the community they’ll be joining.
How to keep a candidate engaged during their notice period
• Enter them into a group chat, on WhatsApp, Skype or
similar, with their immediate team. Introduce them and
encourage discussion
• Schedule one-to-one video calls with key team members
• Schedule ‘coffee time’ – informal video meet-ups for
immediate team members to get to know their new colleague
• Send email updates to inform them of what’s happening in
the department, so that they can hit the ground running on
their first day and week
TRY RECORDING A SHORT VIDEO
If your new employee is working from
home, they may be inundated with
emails. Cut through the noise with
a short video introduction.
What should you do?
• Welcome them to the company
• Be excited for them to join your team
• Explain a little more about the next steps and early
onboarding process
• Let them know that remote working is no barrier and that
you’ll do everything you can to make things work
• Share the video with them privately, either directly over
the phone or via a LinkedIn message
WELCOME
In today’s world of work, many employers find themselves in
the position of onboarding new members of staff while you
and your workforce are working remotely.
To help you navigate this process and successfully onboard a new employee into your
remote team, we share the following advice.
The key factor for success is to remain positive and supportive of your new hire, and to
encourage your team to put every effort into welcoming them to your organisation. Ask
your consultant if you have any concerns at any time. We are very happy to help.

3. © Copyright Hays plc 2020. HAYS, the Corporate and Sector H devices, Recruiting experts worldwide, the HAYS Recruiting experts worldwide logo and Powering the world of work are trademarks of Hays plc.
The Corporate and Sector H devices are original designs protected by registration in many countries. All rights are reserved.
WHAT WILL THEIR FIRST WEEK LOOK LIKE?
Onboarding a new member of staff completely remotely might
not be something you are used to, but it can be a huge success –
just adapt your current processes and offer some extra support,
and your new employee will thrive.
First, review your normal process
Take a detailed look at how you normally onboard a new starter.
It’s likely that much of that process can be moved onto a virtual
platform without losing too much interaction. Here are some
things to prioritise.
Home access: It’s vital to ensure that your new hire is able to
access the relevant files and their emails smoothly from day
one. Before they officially start, work with your IT department to
prepare.
Compliance: Boxes need checking and forms need signing. It’s
the same in every job. Use DocuSign or similar software to make
this process easier for remote workers.
Training: Any required training, including health & safety and
anti-corruption or similar, should all be accessible online for new
users to complete as soon as they have access to your systems
from home.
Technology: Make sure they have everything they need to do
their job properly. In particular, ensure they have the correct
video conferencing software and are confident in how to use it.
Set up (virtual) meet and greets
One part of your onboarding process that shouldn’t be
neglected is the focus on meeting new team members.
Do a wider team greeting: Make your new starter feel welcome
by celebrating their addition to the team. This can be as simple
as introducing them on a group conference call – ideally over
video so they can begin to put faces to names.
Set up one-to-one meetings with key stakeholders: Just as you
should when a new hire starts in person, plan video calls with
key stakeholders and other members of staff to talk over their
responsibilities and how they fit into your employee’s new role.
Make things as structured as possible
As your new hire starts to become familiar with the organisation
and what their day-to-day should comprise of, it’s important to
create a clear structure.
Check in, don’t check up: Book out meetings every day between
your new starter and their line manager. Allow at least an hour
to discuss anything they have in mind and to make immediate
deliverables clear.
Set clear expectations, daily: Have a call or video meeting in the
morning to make sure the employee knows what to expect from
the day and can plan out their activity. As their first week goes
on, these should become shorter or be cancelled entirely as the
new starter gains confidence and knowledge of key projects.
Ask them to compile questions: Working in an office lets new
starters ask their neighbours and managers simple questions
throughout the day. This is more difficult when working
remotely, so ask them to compile a list of questions as they
come up, so you can cover them in your daily meeting.
social.hays.com
Be understanding
Even if your organisation had implemented flexible working in the
past, onboarding a new starter entirely remotely is bound to be a
new experience both for managers and employees themselves.
Get to know them: Without having face-to-face contact it can
be easy to focus on the tasks ahead, but spend time getting to
know your new starter personally too.
Look after wellbeing: Take proactive steps to ensure your new
starter’s – and your entire team’s – wellbeing when they work
remotely. This includes encouraging them to get up out of their
chair regularly, eating well and staying hydrated, and using
communication and collaboration tools to keep in touch so they
do not feel isolated or disconnected.
Be forgiving: Onboarding remotely is a relatively new concept
and there will be a learning curve. Learn from any mistakes or
hiccups and be forgiving and supportive. This will help you retain
your new worker and streamline the process for any more remote
hires.
WHAT ABOUT THE FUTURE?
Once the current situation passes and the recovery commences,
your new starter will have their first day in the office and meet
their new colleagues face-to-face. They will be able to approach
this day with confidence, having already become acquainted
with the team through a successful remote onboarding program.
Remember, Hays consultants remain on hand to help
recruit the people you need to make your business a
success.
If you have any further questions, please contact your
Hays consultant.